


The secrets we keep

by Alba_Helena



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: M/M, OT8, Park Seonghwa is Whipped, Protective Dongsaengs, Protective Hongjoong, Sad Seonghwa, Shy Park Seonghwa, Soft Kim Hongjoong, Soft Park Seonghwa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alba_Helena/pseuds/Alba_Helena
Summary: Hongjoong's best friend is as normal as they come. Sure, he's a bit obsessed with cleaning, and there was that one freak out in the shopping centre...... but he's definitely a friendly, ordinary person. So when a mysterious man appears in their lives, why is Seonghwa suddenly retreating into himself. Who is this man? Why is Seonghwa so freaked out? And why do all his friends seem to know what's going on when he doesn't?
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 9
Kudos: 71





	1. The calm before the storm

“Joong?” came a soft voice from beside him. Hastily jerking his head up, Joong looked around for the source of the voice and smiled when he saw it: Seonghwa. He had just arrived at their table in the coffee shop with, God bless him, two teas, cookies, muffins and a bar of chocolate. Joong raised his eyes slightly in mock astonishment,

“Not a very healthy breakfast there Hwa!” He taunted, and in response Hwa just stuck his tongue out at the shorter boy before placing the tray on the table, swinging his worn out leather bag onto a chair and plonking himself down opposite the other male. He looked so much like a child whose mother had told him off when he did that and Joong couldn’t help smiling again.

“What?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he tried to figure out what was amusing. _You look so beautiful_ Joong thought to himself, _Go on Hongjoong, tell him that. No_. Instead Hongjoong just shook his head, no point trying to explain it to him. He’d just think Hongjoong was weird, which he probably was. If Hwa noticed his slight weirdness he just shrugged it off and dug into one of the muffins. He watched as his blue eyes light up and sparkled with delight as a slow grin spread across his flawless face.

“They’re still warm” he mumbled with his mouth full, tiny flakes of muffin floating down to his plate. The shorter of the two smiled and reached for his own muffin, not taking his eyes off of the others face. But his hand found nothing; looking down at the plate in surprise Hongjoong saw that the muffin was gone. Strange. That was when Seonghwa emitted a faint giggle and he looked back at him to see Hongjoon's muffin was grasped in his one hand, the other was covering his mouth to hide the childlike grin on his face.

“Hwa……” Hongjoong said and he giggled more, shuffling his chair slightly away from the red headed boy. Fine. Hongjoong let him sit there for a moment and try to control his giggles before leaning in quickly and tickling his tummy. He pulled back, trying to get away but the shorter boy was too quick for him and he eventually submitted and handed the other the muffin.

“You’re such a child sometimes Seonghwa” Hongjoong said through fits of laughter as Seonghwa fought to get back up onto his chair, which he had fallen off promptly after the tickling had ceased.

“Not funny Hongjoong” he cried as he finally righted the chair and sat on it with a sigh. He glanced around slightly apprehensively, almost as if to make sure no one had seen what had just happened. Hongjoong chuckled to himself, before biting into his muffin. His eyes lit up. Now he could see why Seonghwa had loved his, it was warm, soft and delicious. The flavour was blueberry and it seemed to just melt on the tongue. He looked up at Hwa to tell him what he thought but the look on Seonghwa’s face made him freeze.

He was sitting very still, his pale face whiter than usual, his expression that of terror. His eyes seemed unfocused and distant, like he was somewhere else, but his stare held a spot behind Hongjoon. Slowly, he turned in his chair, doing his best to act casual and failing. The red haired boy followed Seonghwa’s stare to the back of Starbucks where a man in a black suit and tie stood, there was something about him that seemed off, but Hongjoong couldn’t quite tell what. Maybe it was the way his suit was too perfect, or the gleam in his eye that looked slightly malicious, but mainly it was probably due to the fact that he was staring back at the two of them, or to be more specific: he was looking straight at Seonghwa, a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips.

Who was this man? Why was he staring at Seonghwa? Whoever he was, Seonghwa obviously didn’t feel safe, that was obvious from the way he had started to shake slightly behind him.

Hongjoong managed to get him up and out of the shop as quickly as was humanly possible, which wasn’t very quick but trying to manoeuvre your friend through chairs and tables when he’s twice your height, frozen stiff with fear and still refusing to break eye contact with the man in the corner was not an easy task.

Once on the street the shorter dragged the taller into a hasty walk away from the shop before stopping and turning Seonghwa to face him, only now realizing that he is trembling. Without any hesitation the shorter wrapped an arm around him and brings him close to his body, not caring who was watching. Whoever that man was, he must have a very good reason for making Hwa react like this; he almost never had a meltdown in public. _Almost never….. NO HONGJOONG! Don’t think about that now, think about the shaking boy under your arm, you have to get him out of here._

Carefully, Hongjoong steered Seonghwa in the direction of the underground. He stumbled at the stairs and in the red haired boys effort to help his friend regain his balance, Hongjoong ended up looking back the way they had come. There, standing by the entrance to the coffee shop, was the man; still staring intently in their direction. _Shit._

“Come on Hwa” he muttered, dragging the taller boy down the tube steps. Luckily their train had just got in so Hongjoong hauled Seonghwa onboard, vaguely aware that he had begun to sob silently. But that didn’t matter right now, what mattered was getting back to their apartment and THEN Hongjoong could sort Seonghwa out.

All the way through the train journey and the walk to the apartment, Hongjoong didn’t once take his arm from around Seonghwa. When it had gotten awkward on the tube Hongjoong still didn’t, because even though he didn’t know what was wrong, he knew he had to help, and although he didn’t want to admit it to himself, it was also because Seonghwa looked so sweet and adorable tucked under his arm. It was only once they were home and Hongjoong heard the satisfying click of the ‘state of the art’ lock on the front door that Seonghwa had insisted on them getting, that he finally relaxed enough to consider removing his arm. He regretted it immediately because the moment his arm moved away Seonghwa fell to the floor like the only thing holding the shaking boy up had been Hongjoong.

“You need to call Yunho and Mingi” Seonghwa muttered from the floor. Hongjoong looked down at him in surprise; surely he must be joking, what could they do? But he could see from his best friend’s eyes that this was no joke. Hongjoong nodded and Seonghwa silently handed him his phone.

He quickly brought up Mingi’s contact and dialled. The other end picked up almost immediately.

“Seonghwa, Sir?” said a voice that sounded like Mingi but couldn’t be, why would he be so formal?

“Mingi?” Hongjoong asked, suddenly unsure about who he was calling, since when did Mingi address Seonghwa so professionally?

“Hongjoong hyung?” what are you doing with Seonghwa’ hunts phone? Is he alright?” Hongjoong thought for a moment, was Seonghwa alright? He was just sitting there staring at his hands.

“I…no. He wanted me to call you” Hongjoong said and, after a whisper from Seonghwa added “He says to tell you ‘he found him’ whatever that means” Hongjoong shot a questioning look at Seonghwa but he didn’t respond, just nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Are you in your apartment?” Mingi asked suddenly.

“Yeah….”

“Stay there, do not open the door, do not answer the phone, and most importantly DO NOT LEAVE SEONGHWA ALONE!!” and with that, the line went dead leaving Hongjoong just standing there in confusion. What the hell just happened? Seonghwa… Don’t leave Seonghwa alone. Mingi’s last words rang in his head. Where was Seonghwa? The corner his friend had collapsed in was now empty.

“SEONGHWA?” Hongjoong called out, even though he somehow knew Seonghwa wasn’t in hearing range. Where the heck was he?

“Joong….” Came a quiet voice. Hongjoong’s head swivelled round and he hesitantly headed towards where the sound had come from. He had almost reached the kitchen when he heard a clatter and a bang came from behind the door. And then Seonghwa’s voice, crying out:

“Hongjoong, don’t come in here!” his voice pleaded. Like hell Hongjoong thought to himself as he shoved the door to the kitchen open. And stopped dead in his tracks, he certainly hadn’t been expecting to see that. Seonghwa lay in the middle of the room, clearly passed out.

“Seonghwa!” Hongjoong cried out, running forward and landing harshly on his knees beside his friend. His mop of ebony hair was clumped together due to sweat. He looked peaceful, even kind of beautiful in Hongjoong’s eyes. And then he saw the rest of the room. It was completely trashed. Every single cupboard door, shelf and drawer had had its entire contents poured out onto the floor and then abandoned. There were holes in some of the cupboard doors that looked as though someone had punched them. Just then Hongjoong had an uneasy feeling, what had happened here? He’d only been on the phone for five minutes, unless…. Unless this had happened whilst they were out. Yes, that must be it; no way could this have happened without Hongjoong hearing it.

Below him, Seonghwa stirred and whimpered slightly. Hongjoong whipped his head down and gently stroked his forehead, whispering to him that it was alright, that he was there and that nothing bad was going to happen. Gently, ever so gently, Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa into his arms and lifted him carefully up from the floor.

“Joong…..?” came Seonghwa’s soft voice as his eyelids fluttered open to reveal his beautiful blue eyes. But there was something about them; they seemed to have less light that usual, an almost haunted look plastered on the older boys face.

“I’m here Hwa” Hongjoong smiled down at him, which in turn caused Seonghwa to let out a relieved smile as he gazed up at Hongjoong. _He’s still shaking_ Hongjoong thought furiously, _got to get him to bed._

“Let’s get you into bed shall we Hwa, you’ll be nice and safe with toothless”. Seonghwa smiled at the mention of his favourite soft toy but when he realised what Hongjoong had said before he shook his head violently, eyes wide with fear.

“N..n….nNo” Seonghwa stuttered, “We need to get out of here Hongjoong” The urgency was clear in his voice. Too worried about his friend to argue, Hongjoong carried Seonghwa to the door, grabbed his keys and left, shutting the doors firmly behind him.

Hongjoong dropped Seonghwa down gently and helped him to stand up. The older boy seemed to have calmed down a bit now they were in the hallway and, turning slightly, he fixed his piercing blue eyes on Hongjoong’s chocolate brown ones.

“Did you call them?”

“Yeah, they’re on their way…. Seonghwa?”

“Hongjoong”

“What just happened?” Seonghwa scrutinized Hongjoong, almost deciding if he could trust him. Finally, he nodded and took a deep breath.

“That man we saw, he’s……” Just then there was a ‘ding’ from the lift, cutting Seonghwa off, and the metal doors slid open to reveal Yunho and Mingi. Rushing straight over, Yunho took one look at Seonghwa’s still worried face before enveloping him in a warm hug. Seonghwa was grateful for this but slightly annoyed that he hadn’t been able to tell Hongjoong what had happened. He didn’t know if he’d have the courage to try again. Once Yunho pulled away, Mingi started talking;

“Are you two alright? Why are you out here? Is there someone in your apartment?” He paused for a moment, but before either boy could respond, Mingi seemed to notice Seonghwa’s expression. “Hwa? You still with us?” He asked; concern in his voice.

“There’s someone in there” Seonghwa whispered, gesturing to the door behind him. Yunho and Mingi exchanged glances before ushering Hongjoong and Seonghwa out of the way and letting themselves into the apartment. Mingi started to close the door behind him but Yunho caught it, looking back at the two boys; “stay here” he warned and then let the door close.

Seonghwa couldn’t stop shaking, no matter how warm Hongjoong’s arm around him was making him feel. How could he just stand here, whilst Yunho and Mingi were potentially walking into danger? They didn’t know, didn’t know how dangerous HE could be, no one did; and no one ever would.

 _Shuffle shuffle._ Seonghwa’s head turned sharply towards the stairs, eyes wide with alarm.

“Hongjoong….” He whispered, and the younger boy turned to him.

“What?” Hongjoong asked, also whispering having picked up on Seonghwa’s fear.

“There’s someone coming up the stairs. We need to move”. Saying this, Seonghwa jumped to his feet, ready to run for miles if it got him away. But Hongjoong wasn’t reacting the way Seonghwa needed him to, he wasn’t picking up on the urgency of the situation.

_Shuffle shuffle._

The footsteps were getting nearer and nearer. Seonghwa silently pleaded with Hongjoong, hoping his eyes would convey the message. They had to run, NOW.

Just then, Seonghwa heard the familiar squeak and squeal of the Lift starting up. Damn it. Why wouldn’t Hongjoong listen to him? He considered banging on the apartment door to alert Yunho and Mingi but that could put them in more danger. He could feel his fight or flight instinct rising, but he already knew which one would win out, it was part of the reason he was in this mess.

Without warning, Seonghwa leapt forward, startling Hongjoong and knocking him over but there was no time to react, his primal instincts had taken over and they were refusing to listen to his brain. Seonghwa was down the corridor and had just reached the corner when the lift doors clicked open. Seonghwa froze when he saw two men holding guns emerge. He was like a rabbit caught in the headlights, torn between running and his concern for Hongjoong’s safety. One of the men moved towards Hongjoong, who was still on the floor, and yanked him up roughly by his collar. The other man held his gun to Hongjoong’s head and whispered in a voice that was meant only for Hongjoong but Seonghwa heard clearly;

“You’re going to come with us now or else the men in your apartment are gonna die, understand boy?” The first guys voice was menacing and left Seonghwa quaking as he read the underline meaning of his threat.

“No”, came Seonghwa’s voice, startling both him and the men at the other end of the corridor. And before he knew what was happening, Seonghwa was hurtling back the way he had come, back toward Hongjoong. He wasn’t going to let this happen. As he got closer he tried to slow down his pace, but his body was completely out of his control and, as a result, he slammed straight into the arms of the first man.

Winded, Seonghwa fell slightly but the man caught him in a firm grip and deftly swung him over his shoulder in one fluid move. Seonghwa craned his neck to see Hongjoong and saw, to his dismay, his best friend being carried into the now open lift and worst of all; he didn’t seem to be moving.

“YUNHO!!” Seonghwa cried out as loud as he could, praying he would hear through the closed door. Seonghwa felt something collide with the back of his head and the last thing he saw was the entrance to his apartment, the place he had felt so safe in for so long, before his vision went blurry and the darkness enveloped him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...“You must promise me to never go in there Mars” His father said to him, no hint of a laughter or joke in his eyes. Seonghwa nodded sincerely, if his dad told him to do something, he did it.
> 
> Seonghwa jolted out of the memory to find the man of his nightmares stood right over him....."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of violence in this chapter  
> Hey guys, sorry this took so long to update, my country's in lock down but I work in a supermarket so am working insane shifts. Hope everyone's staying safe and you like this chapter.

Hongjoong awoke with a groan, aware of the throbbing pain in his head. Trying to move his arms to find the cause of the pain, Hongjoong found his hands were strapped down leaving him unable to move. _What on earth?_ Groggily, he recalled what had happened. How Seonghwa had been scared, how they had rushed home, how sweet he had looked in his arms. He remembered the destroyed apartment and Yunho and Mingi arriving. Seonghwa and him had sat outside. He vaguely remembered Seonghwa bolting down the corridor, spooked by nothing. The lift opening, two men, Seonghwa’s cry, and then….. Nothing. Where was he? What had happened? But most importantly, Where Was Seonghwa?!!

“S….hwa.” Hongjoong tried to speak but his throat was too dry. Licking his dry lips, Hongjoong looked around, trying to get his bearings. He was in a room. A plain, white washed room with one small door in the corner. Not much to work with. He felt his head begin to spin as he realised he was trapped, tied down in the middle of a room with no clue why he was here. There must be some reasoning behind this. Once more Hongjoong tried to call out Seonghwa’s name but only managed a squeak. He had to find Seonghwa, had to make sure he was safe.

As if on cue, the door in the far corner swung open and a man in a black and white suit walked into the room. Hongjoong trembled slightly in anticipation, what was going to happen? But it soon became apparent that the man wasn’t interested in him, all he did was look at Hongjoong, nod once before turning around and gesturing to someone just out of Hongjoong’s view. Two more men appeared, both wearing matching suits and expressions, but Hongjoong didn’t focus on that. Instead, he focused on the limp boy that one of the men held in his arms. Seonghwa. Oh god Seonghwa. Was he even breathing? The man walked further into the room and dropped Seonghwa down harshly onto a table that Hongjoong hadn’t noticed during his initial sweep of the room. The men swiftly strapped Seonghwa’s arms and legs down before swiftly leaving the room.

“Ss..eo..ng..hwa” Hongjoong managed to croak, before silently cursing himself, as if Seonghwa would be able to hear that. But, to his surprise, Seonghwa stirred slightly and murmured Hongjoong’s name. Maybe he’d managed to be louder than he thought. Silence filled the room before it was filled by a broken cry.

“HONGJOONG” Seonghwa screamed, violently jerking upwards only to be yanked down by the restraints. He bit back a scream when a searing pain spread across his left arm. Seonghwa swivelled his head around frantically, eyes searching wildly until they finally fixed upon a red haired boy with chocolate brown eyes tied to a chair and staring back at him.

“Hongjoong” Seonghwa sighed, relaxing slightly but keeping his head arced so he could see the younger boy. Hongjoong flashed him a quick smile in acknowledgment.

“Are you alright?” Seonghwa asked carefully, aware that Hongjoong was probably very far from okay. But who would be okay in this situation? Snatched from your apartment by two men and then waking to find yourself tied up in a strange room. But to Seonghwa’s surprise, Hongjoong just nodded and gave Seonghwa his ‘are you kidding me’ look.

Seonghwa let out a small chuckle which he stopped abruptly when he heard footsteps. Turning his head round, he found the same door Hongjoong had noticed only minutes before. He shivered; knowing that neither he nor Hongjoong were going to like what came through that door. The footsteps were getting nearer, yet Seonghwa could tell there were at least seven closed doors between them and the oncoming feet. He didn’t know how he could tell, he never did. It was just something he could do.

“Someone’s coming Hongjoong” Seonghwa whispered, and after a curious look from Hongjoong added; “the walls are talking to me” in an attempt to make a joke. The smile on his friends face was enough to sent cartwheels through his stomach, or maybe that was the anticipation of the footsteps getting nearer and nearer.

“Don’t worry Joong” Seonghwa said, more to comfort himself than the other boy, “Yunho and Mingi will find us”.

“And how the hell will they do that?” Hongjoong croaked back, “Last time I checked Yunho couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag and Mingi has as much sense of direction as a headless chicken” Seonghwa bit back a grin, Hongjoong always knew what to say to cheer him up. _Step step, step step_. They were too close now; close enough for Seonghwa to hear their slow, steady breathing. If only he could tell Hongjoong the truth, the truth about what Yunho and Mingi could really do. It would blow his mind, but now wasn’t the time. Now they had to focus on getting through this.

“They will find us” Seonghwa promised his friend in desperation. “Hongjoong, I…..” He cut off as he heard the sound of breathing right outside the door. They had arrived. Sure enough, the door in the corner flung open with a loud bang to reveal two men in suits, with a third man stood slightly behind so Seonghwa couldn’t make out his face but his very presence seemed threatening.

The two men walked in silently, ominously. They studied both boys for a moment before moving around Seonghwa’s table and over towards Hongjoong. NO. “N.. no” Seonghwa stammered, but the men just kept walking towards Hongjoong, not stopping until they were right in front of him.

They stood there for a few moments, clearly trying to intimidate Hongjoong, but even Seonghwa could see it wasn’t working. Hongjoong made the effort to sit slightly straighter to indicate to the men that they would have to try harder.

The first man leaned in closer and whispered in a voice clearly only intended for Hongjoong but Seonghwa heard it anyway; “ Now listen to us boy” he hissed “We know who you are and we know what you can do. Did you really think we wouldn’t find you? Guess mummy didn’t hide you so well this time” he hissed. Seonghwa froze. No. This could not be happening. They’d found him, but how could they? Mum had been so careful. But, they seemed to think Hongjoong was him, this could not be good.

“I don’t…..” Hongjoong croaked before he was cut off by a sharp slap round the face, causing Seonghwa to wince slightly.

“Don’t lie to us boy, we KNOW it’s you, and if you won’t cooperate…….” The second man trailed off, his gaze drifting over to where Seonghwa was strapped down, completely vulnerable. “Well, then we’ll just have to have some fun now won’t we?” The man grinned maliciously over at Seonghwa causing him to shrink slightly into the table, knocking his arm in the process. An involuntary yelp escaped Seonghwa’s lips and the man’s smile widened. He began to walk towards Seonghwa, pausing by his left hand. The man cocked his head to the side, studying his arm before reaching forward and poking it, which was followed by a slight wince from Seonghwa. Hongjoong writhed in silent fury, this could not be happening. Surely they wouldn’t hurt Seonghwa, he was too innocent.

A heart-wrenching sound made Hongjoong jump, and he realized too late what it was. _Seonghwa_. One of the men had his left arm bent back and Hongjoong could see the pain plastered on his best friends face as he arced his back whilst keeping his gaze fixed on Hongjoong. The men moved his arm left, then right, then left again; each time receiving a yelp of pain from Seonghwa.

Seonghwa registered the pain, they were moving his arm, twisting it in ways that made the pain almost unbearable, yet he couldn’t stop myself from looking over to where Hongjoong sat. He felt a slap and then his head was knocked forward, his eyes loosing sight of Hongjoong. The two men stood over him with their dark unreadable faces. _They can hurt you, but they can’t harm you_. His mother’s voice suddenly echoed in his head, _not if you don’t let them Seonghwa._ Remember what you told Hongjoong, he thought furiously to himself, help is coming. And with that, Seonghwa took a deep breath and steeled himself for the oncoming whip he could see being swung.

He didn’t move, didn’t react to the abuse he was receiving. Hopefully if they’d stop if they get no response. So he endured the pain, the pain of the first man whipping every part of him, it only stopping each time he yelled over at Hongjoong; “Feel like talking yet?” The other man was less ferocious, instead calmly producing a knife and slowly raking it down Seonghwa’s arms, legs, and tantalisingly close to his face. It hurt like hell but still Seonghwa stayed silent. Even when they bent his arm backwards so far Hongjoong could heard a distinctive crack from where he was tied, the only sound that escaped was a small whimper, barely audible. Then the men stopped. His entire body ached, the places where the whip had touched beginning to swell and the cuts throbbing painfully. Hazily, Seonghwa couldn’t figure out why they had stopped. That was when he registered the yelling.

\--

The men had descended upon Seonghwa like vultures, striking and whipping almost as if they were possessed. But the worst part was that Seonghwa just lay there, unresponsive; what was wrong with him? Maybe he’d passed out and couldn’t feel anything, or maybe he was already dead _. No, don’t think like that Hongjoong, he can’t be dead_.

A deathly crack suddenly rang out from the table, and Hongjoong felt his insides turn to mush.

“SEONGHWA!!!” he screeched, writhing and pulling on his restraints, desperately trying to reach his friend. One of the men looked over at him. “Ready to talk yet?” He snarled, twisting Seonghwa’s arm even further. Hongjoong heard a faint whimper escape from Seonghwa’s mouth and he couldn’t take it any longer. Without thinking about the consequences, Hongjoong began hurling abuse at the men.

“You two are sick, I don’t even know why you’re doing this, is it to inflate your egos? Does picking on two helpless boys make yourselves feel better? You should be ashamed, just…. just let us go!!” the last bit came out slightly too pleading causing the men to grin and Hongjoong mentally kicked himself. Over on the table, Seonghwa groaned slightly and tried to move his head in Hongjoong’s direction. _Oh Seonghwa, just stay still._

“If you’re not going to cooperate, we could always see how you’d feel in your friends place.” The first man sneered in Hongjoong’s face, a waft of garlic engulfing Hongjoong.

“I’m fine thanks, Garlic brain” he retorted, internally wincing at the lame comback. The man just shook his head and raised his whip. Closing his eyes, Hongjoong did his best to brace himself for the pain. _Whip_. A searing pain erupted on his face and a gasp escaped him. How had Seonghwa managed this? He opened his eyes slightly, blinking away the red spots in his vision. Garlic mouth had the whip raised again, ready to strike, but he was cut short by a sudden outburst from Seonghwa.

“STOP” he yelled out, unable to take it anymore. “You’ve got the wrong boy!”. Both men had turned in Seonghwa’s direction and he could feel Hongjoong’s eyes on him as well.

“What did you say punk?” The man who had whipped Hongjoong said incredulously. Seonghwa winced slightly at the attention but continued.

“It’s me, not him. Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this.” Seonghwa sighed slightly at Hongjoong’s confused look; he had meant to tell him. Meant to explain to him what his mother did for a living, but it was supposed to be kept a secret. Seonghwa didn’t care; any secret or oath was worth breaking to save Hongjoong. Just then, a voice from the door way interrupted Seonghwa’s thoughts.

“ _YOU’RE_ Mars?” the man that Seonghwa had forgotten was there asked incredulously. Seonghwa just nodded. The man took a step into the room, allowing Seonghwa to finally see his face; and when he did, his blood went cold. He took in the brown hair, the piercing blue eyes that seemed to be staring into his soul. It couldn’t be, he was supposed to be in prison or dead, and yet here he was stood before Seonghwa. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered;

_He was five years old, and had just come home from his day in reception. All Seonghwa had wanted was to curl up with toothless and go to bed, he was exhausted. Mum wasn’t home yet, she always worked late and sometimes he wouldn’t see her for days. There was movement in the garage that Seonghwa’s keen ears picked up, and he slowly trudged in that direction. He knocked carefully and the door swung open revealing a brown haired man with piercing blue eyes wearing green overalls and a smile on his face._

_“Daddy!” Seonghwa cried, leaping forwards into his father’s embrace. His dad laughed a warm husky laugh as he swung Seonghwa around slightly before setting him lightly on his feet. His dad turned and closed the garage door firmly but not before Seonghwa had caught a glimpse of white and a strange sort of chemical smell. His dad leaned down in front of him and spoke firmly;_

_“You must promise me to never go in there Mars” His father said to him, no hint of a laughter or joke in his eyes. Seonghwa nodded sincerely, if his dad told him to do something, he did it._

Seonghwa jolted out of the memory to find the man of his nightmares stood right over him.

“Hello son” his dad grinned, “I have to admit, after all the trouble I went through to find you I honestly expected, well, more”. Seonghwa felt his heart sink slightly, he couldn’t help it; even though he knew what his father could do, and had done, Seonghwa still felt sad that he had somehow let his father down.

“I honestly thought it would be you” his father said, walking over to Hongjoong. Seonghwa squirmed slightly. He shouldn’t be allowed to talk to Hongjoong. “You look more like my son than he does” Seonghwa’s father murmured, casting a quick glance over at his son, who glared as fiercely as he could, fighting to stay conscious in a sea of pain. He refused to be vulnerable in front of this man.

Suddenly, there was a big crash above us and Seonghwa flinched, jerking upwards and putting stress on his arm. Whimpering, he looked over at Hongjoong in fear. In an instant, his father was at his side again.

“What do you hear Mars?” the man he called his father asked. Seonghwa just stared at him, the crash had been so loud, surely it was loud enough for them to hear it too this time. “Come ON son” he said, slapping him “What. Did. You. Hear, huh? TELL ME!” He yelled the last word causing Seonghwa to shrink back and whisper: “crash”. And as quick as that, his father was gone, leaving Hongjoong and him alone.

In a way this was worse, Seonghwa didn’t think he had the strength to face Hongjoong right now. He must be so angry, he had lied to him about his whole life, kept so much a secret from his best friend.

“Hwa….” Hongjoong said hesitantly and Seonghwa slowly tilted his head to look make eye contact. He instantly regretted it; Hongjoong was hurting, it was evident on his face. “Go ahead” he whispered, “Tell me you hate me”.

“Why would I hate you Seonghwa? We can’t choose our family” A flicker of hope flashed across Seonghwa’s face but it quickly faded as he spoke again.

“But I lied to you”, his voice sounded as though it was going to break at any moment and it was heart-wrenching to see him like this.

“I don’t care Seonghwa, I love you” Hongjoong froze suddenly, had he seriously just said that? Damn it. Seonghwa was just staring at him, astonished. “I…. I mean……” he had no clue what to say, what could he even say? He had just admitted to loving his best friend.

“Joong….” Seonghwa’s voice. Hongjoong tensed up, preparing for the worst; whatever Seonghwa said, he could take it.

“Hongjoong… I…. I think……” Just then the door burst open and Seonghwa’s father was back, face red with rage. He had a long metal pole in his hands. He walked towards Seonghwa,

“Leave him alone!” the redhaired boy yelled but the man ignored him and set about unbolting Seonghwa’s limbs from the table. As soon as he was free, Seonghwa leapt up off the table and in mere seconds had dashed over to Hongjoong. He was clutching his left arm and swaying slightly from too much blood loss, but he smiled gently down at the shorter boy.

“I love you too Hongjoong” he whispered before he collapsed, head resting on Hongjoong’s knee. Someone was screaming, a blood curling scream, and it took Hongjoong far too long to realise it was him making the sound. Seonghwa’s father, _could this man really be Seonghwa’s father?_ gave him a slap around the face before leaning down and picking up the now unconscious Seonghwa. “No… no… please” the redhaired boy begged, _he couldn’t take him, he couldn’t take the one he loved. The one that had just said they loved him back_.

“Shut it faggot” he snarled, before bolting out of the door, slamming it shut leaving Hongjoong just sat there in stunned silence. _Seonghwa loved him_. And then he’d passed out, and now he was gone.

“This is messed up” he whispered to himself. All of a sudden Hongjoong felt his head getting heavy. What was going on? His vision swam, black spots appearing when he tried to focus on anything on the table Seonghwa had bee lying on minutes earlier.

_BANG._

Hongjoong was jolted backwards and his chair toppled over from the impact, _what the h…_

“Seonghwa? Seonghwa, are you in here?” the redhaired boy knew that voice, it sounded like….

“YUNHO” Hongjoong yelled out trying to break free of his binds so that he could see him. He felt his chair lift up and was suddenly face to face with Yunho.

“Hongjoong? What the hell man, where’s Seonghwa?” _Seonghwa_. _Oh gods Seonghwa._ He hastily tried to communicate to Yunho that he was gone but all came out was a bunch of hysterical sounding noises. “Breathe Hongjoong” he ordered, and the boy did.

There was something off about Yunho. Hongjoong hazily looked him over; took in the skinny jeans, the black hoodie that he wasn’t wearing earlier (or yesterday, how long had they even been here for?), He noticed the black earpiece he was wearing and his eyes slid over the gun he was holding in his right hand. Wait, a GUN?! This was so messed up, like a dream. Yes, this has to be some messed up dream. The dizziness came back in full force and this time Hongjoong gave into it, surely if he slept in a dream he would wake up? Yes, he wanted to wake up and have Seonghwa in the room next to him, his best friend, the boy he loved.


	3. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'The raven haired boy could feel his head getting heavy and his eyelids began to droop, just as Seonghwa was almost out he heard a voice whisper:
> 
> “Just like old times, eh, Mars”
> 
> Seonghwa…. Mars slipped into unconsciousness.'

*BEEP BEEP*

Hongjoong awoke to the sound of beeping, hand reaching out, searching for the alarm that wasn’t there. Why wouldn’t it just go away, he wanted to sleep. Groaning slightly he lifted his head and looked blearily around to locate the alarm, but when he did he had to do a double take. This wasn’t his room; it wasn’t Seonghwa’s room either. At the thought of Seonghwa, everything came rushing back. _Seonghwa_. Was he alright? Had they found him?

“Hyung?” a voice asked from behind him and Hongjoong spun his head round to see Mingi sat in a chair by his bed.

“Seonghwa?” the redhaired boy asked him desperately but the taller male just shook his head

“We don’t know hyung, he just wasn’t there.”

“But…. He needs help, they hurt his arm and there was so much blood…..”

“We know hyung” Mingi sighed, “we saw the blood” He looked like he wanted to say something else but didn’t.

“What?” Hongjoong whispered.

“It’s nothing” Mingi replied hastily. Hongjoong just looked at him, and the younger sighed again, but before he could speak someone cut in.

“What happened in that room Kim Hongjoong?” A sharp, clear voice pierced the silence. Squinting in the direction of the voice, leaning against the door, he could just make out a woman. She stepped further into the room and he could see who it was: Seonghwa’s mother. He had only seen her once and that was when the redhaired boy had first moved in with Seonghwa about a year ago but she was a difficult woman to forget, so very much unlike Seonghwa.

She was wearing almost the same as she had then, smart business clothes with her hair tied tightly in a bun. The only thing that was different was the slight puffiness and tinge of red around her eyes which suggested she had been crying. _Of course she’s been crying_ Hongjoong hissed silently to himself, _her son is missing_. But despite this, she still fixed Hongjoong with a glare, face filled with all the distain it had when Seonghwa had first introduced them.

“Please” she added after a slight look from Mingi. Hongjoong sighed, uncertain if he was capable of recounting what had happened. But this was Seonghwa’s mother, she needed to know what happened to her son. After all, it had been her husband that caused this.

“The man claimed to be Hwa’s father” He muttered, studying her carefully to try and gauge her response. Reading her face, looking for the signs that Seonghwa had been teaching him to do. Hongjoong could tell from the way her lip curled ever so slightly at the edge and the fact that her face seemed to fight for a neutral control that she knew who he was, and what he was capable of. Mrs Park looked like she wanted to say something to Hongjoong but instead turned on the balls of her feet and marched out of the room, nodding slightly at Mingi on the way out. Mingi in turn dipped his head as she passed.

Hongjoong sank back into his pillows, suddenly exhausted. Mingi was by his side again, face steeled with determination as he opened his mouth to start talking;

“Hyung, there’s something you need to know.” He started cautiously and Hongjoong looked at him curiously. “Something about Seonghwa, about who he is” Mingi took Hongjoong’s silence as a go ahead and began;

“Seonghwa’s mother works for the government and Seonghwa’s father is supposed to be in prison.”

“Government like paperwork or…?”

“Government as in secret service” Mingi cut in. And then he added: “Yunho and I work for them too”. Hongjoong just stared, open mouthed. Secret service?

“What the hell Mingi” he started. Mingi just gave him an apologetic smile,

“I know, it’s a bit out there, Seonghwa was the one who should have told you” Mingi’s eyes darkened slightly as he mentioned his missing friend. He took a deep breath and continued; “He wanted to tell you since day one, but too much was riding on his silence. That’s why his mother sent Yunho and I to keep an eye on him”

“So…. All this time, you’re not really our friend?”. Hongjoong felt hurt, he considered Yunho and Mingi some of his closest friends, had it all been a lie?

“Hyung, of course I’m your friend and Seonghwa hyung is my friend too” 

“Really?” Hongjoong asked sarcastically. “Isn’t Seonghwa’s just your ‘assignment’.” Mingi winced slightly at that but didn’t let it faze him;

“You’ve got it wrong, hyung was my friend before that, Yunho and I have known him since he was 6 years old. When his mum wanted someone to look out for him we volunteered because we figured hyung would want someone he knew, not some strict agent twice his age”.

A voice cut in just then, “Some ‘strict agent twice his age’ wouldn’t have left Seonghwa alone in that corridor” Mrs Park snapped, suddenly appearing from nowhere. “And then maybe we wouldn’t have the problem we now face” she said, staring meaningfully at Hongjoong. _Why was she staring at him_?

“Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.” Mingi lowered his head slightly so he was staring at the floor. Mrs Park stood there for a few more seconds before exiting as abruptly as she had arrived.

“Well that was awkward” Hongjoong said. Mingi just shook his head, clearing his throat.

“Look hyung, I err… I have to go. There’s a meeting I have to attend, about this situation.” _A meeting? ….A meeting about Seonghwa? Hongjoong HAD to be there_. “A PRIVATE meeting hyung” MINGI stressed when he saw the way the older was beginning to sit up.

“Fine, but there’s something I have to ask.” Something that had been playing on his mind since he woke up.

“Sure hyung, anything.”

“Do you know if…” he cut himself off, “I mean did Seonghwa ever say……’, he took a breathe, “Did Seonghwa like me? As in… like like?” Hongjoong felt like this was the most important sentence he had ever said and yet it sounded too weird. “Err…. I mean, does Seonghwa like being with me?” _Oh god that sounded worse!_ He could feel his face becoming as red as his hair. “What I meant was…..”

“Yes!” Mingi cut the elder off before leaving the room. _Yes_. It took a moment for that to sink in. Seonghwa really did like him; it hadn’t just been an adrenaline thing back at that place. Finding him suddenly became so much more important, he had to get him back; they loved each other. Before Hongjoong even registered what was happening, he was out of bed and down the hall, heading the way Mingi had just gone, nearly colliding with several walls in the process.

**~** _SEONGHWA_ **~**

Pain. Even just lying still there was pain. Why was there so much pain? The black haired boy tentatively opened his eyes. The room he was in was bare, and he was once again strapped down. But this time to a hospital bed which wasn’t any more comfortable than the table. After a quick self-evaluation, Seonghwa concluded that his left arm was broken in multiple places, though it appeared to have been carefully bandaged by someone. There were cuts all over his body and they stung. _A lot_. It felt like he had been hit by a train and then left on the tracks. Moving slightly, he concluded that his shoulder was badly dislocated too. _Not the most ideal situation then_ he thought to himself with an internal eye roll. Hongjoong could have helped him bear the pain, but then they’d hurt him too, and Seonghwa can’t stand to see Hongjoong hurt. Was he even still alive? Had the others managed to find him in the maze of tunnel like rooms? Just then, Seonghwa’s sensitive ears pricked up, detecting voices in the other room.

“… I’m telling you there’s nothing there. Those SS agents cleared it from top to bottom.” he felt a small sense of satisfaction when he said that. SS meant his mother, they must be close by.

“…. Song and Jeong got to him before we could” said one voice.

“Shame, he was a pretty good torture method for Mars, did you see how quickly he spilled to stop them hurting him?” _Hongjoong_. They were talking about Hongjoong. He was okay, Mingi and Yunho had got him out. Realising he had been holding his breath, Seonghwa let a breath out only to be greeted by more pain. He added potentially broken ribs to his running list of injuries.

There was something not quite right about the air in this room as well, a faint chemical smell was slowly filling the room, what on earth could it be? And why did it smell so familiar?

The raven haired boy could feel his head getting heavy and his eyelids began to droop, just as Seonghwa was almost out he heard a voice whisper:

“Just like old times, eh, Mars”

Seonghwa…. _Mars_ slipped into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks so much for reading this chapter! I'm attempting to get into a pattern of uploading once a week, so we shall see if i stick to to!  
> Let me know what you guys think, if you're enjoying it :D


	4. We found Seonghwa

It had been almost six months since Seonghwa and his father had completely dropped off the radar. No one had seen or heard anything. And yet not a day went by that Hongjoong didn’t think about Seonghwa, not a day went by that he didn’t constantly torture himself with what ifs from that day.

 _Oof!_ Hongjoong took a sharp punch to the stomach and keeled over slightly, managing to still keep his protective stance.

“Focus Cadet Kim” Madame Bae, the combat trainer, sneered as she circled the red headed boy slowly. He had been thinking about Seonghwa again, the raven haired boy was never far from Hongjoong’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but wonder what he would have thought about Hongjoong enrolling in the SS Academy. The only reason he’d done it in the first place was to get answers and to help them find him, but as time stretched on it was looking less likely that Seonghwa would be found. Even Seonghwa’s own mother had practically given up the hope of ever seeing her son again.

“Argh” Hongjoong cried out, head jerking back as Madame Bae struck again, this time hitting him square in the face. “Can I have a minute Madame?” he asked through gritted teeth and she just nodded, signalling for the next opponent. It was Yunho.

“Good luck” the shorter boy whispered as they passed each other and he just nodded. Hongjoong reached the side of the room and lowered himself down into the now empty space beside Mingi. Hongjoong had been spending a lot of time with the two of them recently, mainly because they were the only thing that kept him sane, that kept him from curling up into a ball the moment anyone directly or indirectly mentioned something to do with Seonghwa. Because what was the point without Seonghwa? How could life keep going when Seonghwa wasn’t beside him? Mingi nudged him and he turned back to the session.

Madame Bae was talking about how best to defend from an attacker whilst still pushing forward. Although it was interesting, Hongjoong just couldn’t be bothered with this today. Just as he was about to get up and silently slip away, Mingi grabbed the others arm and whispered:

“Wait, watch Yunho first.” Hongjoong slumped back down and watched as the two began to circle in the middle of the room.

Yunho made the first move, snaking in swiftly before retreating, but Bae was quicker. She grabbed Yunho before he could retreat and pulled him in close. Yunho, in turn, twisted his arm back and flipped Madame Bae over his arm, catching her head before it hit the floor. Breathlessly, Bae turned to face us;

“And that, students, That is how you take down an opponent. Dismissed” and with that everyone filed out of the gym, Yunho looking very pleased with himself.

“That was awesome dude, where’d you learn to do that?”

“I learnt it a few years ago….” He trailed off suddenly, a frown appearing on this face.

“What is it?” Mingi asked, concern evident in his voice.

“I…. I just remembered……” He looked up at Hongjoong, “Seonghwa taught me”. And just like that, the world collapsed around him, suddenly Yunho and Mingi were above him, their faces blurring together. Hongjoong was shaking.

“Hyung, Hongjoong hyung, it’s okay hyung. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I even mentioned it”.

“No. It’s not your fault” the shorter tried to say but instead all that came out was a pathetic sounding sob.

“We miss him too” he heard Mingi whisper in his ear. _Not as much as I._

\-----

Routine check: All outer perimeters fine. No suspicious activity. Time is 1:00PM, almost time for lunch and he was starving. San was just thinking about how best to next catch Wooyoung off guard when he heard a commotion below. He looked down and what he saw caused all thoughts of mischief to flee from his mind. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? It couldn’t be him right? The boy everyone was mourning, the hyung San himself was mourning. Slowly, he reached for his binoculars and lifted them to his face.

Sure enough, standing in the middle of the square was a boy only a few years older than San himself. He was wearing an extremely faded and tattered hoodie pulled tight over his head and it looked like it was stained with blood.

From his position on the roof he could just make out a strip of jet black hair peeking out from under the boy’s hood. The boy kept on turning his head, reminding San of the way a frightened animal would look around when they were being hunted.

San swiftly walked to the back wall and sounded the alarm signal. All the while Kim Seonghwa stood swaying in the middle of the street; exposed, and completely and utterly ready to give up.

_~Hongjoong~_

Hongjoong jumped back in shock as a rush of people ran past him. Some gearing up whilst others were scanning various security tapes. _What the hell was going on_? The red head’s feet began moving without him realising, subconsciously following the other people in the corridor. As he was running he passed the cctv room, and something on the camera caught his attention. Before he could look further, he heard someone call his name.

“HONGJOONG!! Hyung you have to come now” Yunho said when he reached the older boy, slightly breathless.

“Why?” he asked, but just then Hongjoong’s eyes focused on one of the screens, he instantly knew where Yunho wanted him to go. A boy with black hair and piercing blue eyes was feebly putting up a fight as men in black suits approached him.

“How old is that?” his voice whispers.

“It’s a live stream. It’s Seonghwa” _Seonghwa_. Seonghwa was alive! Wait, Seonghwa was here. Here in... Was that outside the north wall?! He looked exhausted, even through the screen and yet he wasn’t letting anyone near him. He reminded Hongjoong of Madame Bae’s class. He could only watch as Seonghwa threw everything from punches, kicks and various items he could find at the men.

“Why won’t he let them help him? “ he asked, turning towards Yunho slightly but still refusing to look away from the computerised Seonghwa.

“Imagine you’d been held for six months, people doing god knows what to you. If I were in Seonghwa’s place I somehow don’t think I’d trust a bunch of men in suits either. Unless maybe it was Mingi.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the redhead and he rolled his eyes. Yunho did have a point though. Realisation set in and he cursed slightly, Seonghwa was most likely terrified. Turning back towards the screen Hongjoong registered one of the men had produced what looked like a tranquilizer and was now aiming it at Seonghwa.

“No” he whispered as he felt Yunho wince beside him. Staring in horror, Hongjoong could only watch as the man he loved sunk to the floor, limp and lifeless. Just like when he had first lost him.

His legs went weak and he felt myself sinking to the floor just as two strong pairs of arms caught the smaller firmly by the arm. He looked up into the faces of Yunho and Mingi. Yunho was grinning broadly whilst Mingi looked like he was trying, and failing, to keep his excitement hidden.

“What?” Hongjoong ask, not really caring. How could they be happy about a situation like this?

“I know a way we can see Seonghwa as soon as they bring him in!” Mingi suddenly burst out, unable to take it any longer. A way to see Seonghwa? Hongjoong stared up at Mingi, a smile of his own slowly forming.

“Show me” he whispered and they dragged him away.


	5. Who's Seonghwa?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> '“Seong….hwa?” he whispered. “Who’s that?” he glanced up, flinching back at the looks of shock and horror etched into the faces of the three boys.'

_Mars remembered men. Men in dark suits closing in around him, why couldn’t they just let him go? He hadn’t meant to escape, it was an accident, he’d just wanted to find the man with red hair. He’d screamed at them, begged them to let him go. It hurt. It hurt just existing. He remembered wishing for anything to stop the pain. If he let them capture him again they’d force him to live on until they got what they wanted. It was after he’d been fighting for a while that Mars had registered a prick in his arm, his head going fuzzy, limbs feeling heavy. He crumpled to the floor completely defenseless. The last image behind his eyes had been of the redhaired boy, the one he was trying to find._

The boy in the bed woke up screaming. Screaming and screaming, not caring that his throat was hoarse and ignoring the pain in his limbs, agitated by the screams. There was movement on the other side of the room and the boy instantly fell silent. Father had told him not to make a sound, now he was going to pay the price for breaking a command. Flinching back, the boy felt a soft hand in his, the lightness of the touch surprising him. The boys eyes flew open, franticly darting from side to side. He froze. Something was wrong. The ceiling he was staring up at was different, why was it different?

“He’s awake! Cries a voice, its owner dropping gracefully down from the ceiling vent, quickly rushing over to the boy in the bed. That voice…. It felt familiar to the boy in the bed, but he couldn’t place it. It definitely wasn’t one he’d heard in the last few months. Slowly, ever so slowly, the boy moved his eyes and locked onto the boy with the familiar voice. He had startlingly fiery hair, _similar to the redhaired boy…. Could this be him?_ After some careful studying, the boy decided this tall person didn’t feel like the one he was looking for. The tall boy grinned broadly at the boy before opening his mouth;

“Welcome back to the land of the living hyung! You’ve slept in for far too long”. Slept in? The boy couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept for more than two hours, his father would surely not have allowed him to sleep in. The boy’s face remained blank, staring at the orange haired boy.

“… Are you alright hyung?” came a voice from above, the boy in the beds eyes shot to the ceiling focusing in on the heartbeat above. He hadn’t know they were there, hadn’t heard them until now. Pausing for a moment, the boy took in the sets of breathing accompanying the beating of three hearts that he could hear within the room. He strained his ears, picking up on many other sets of breathing and footsteps, but none sounded like his fathers. He couldn’t hear the familiar sound of the video camera either.

A hand appeared in front of the boys face and he instantly reacted. He yanked on the arm, hissing with pain as the boy it was attached to coming crashing down onto the bed. The boy leapt clear of the other, landing in a crouch near the window.

“Yunho!” a voice cried, the second boy moving toward the bed, hands out in front of him as he neared the still crouching boy. The boy hissed, fists raised.

“Hwa” a voice called out. The boy whipped his head round, eyes locking onto red. Red. Bright red hair. Framing a gentle face, eyes downturned in worry as a hand reached out towards the crouched boy. His eyes were captivating, there was a nagging feeling in the back of the boys head, the feeling of knowing those eyes, of having stared into them on many occasions. His eyes darted to every part of the others face; took in his sharp cheekbones, bright red hair, the tears that were flowing down his face. _Beautiful. This boy was beautiful_. But he didn’t know this beautiful person. So he continued to stare, transfixed.

The other two boys glanced at each other, both sensing that something was off, something was very wrong with their hyung. Yunho’s arm had a dull ache from where Seonghwa had yanked him down onto the bed, Mingi running to help righten him. Now the two were stuck, holding their breath as Hongjoong slowly approached Seonghwa like a frightened dog, arms up and spread to show no harm. Hongjoong too could see something was wrong with Seonghwa, the boy looked distressed and disorientated. But it was his eyes that said the most, there was a slight disconnection there. He was looking at Hongjoong but he wasn’t _seeing_ him. Hongjoong felt the tears slowly falling down his face, and he didn’t do anything to stop them. He felt helpless, every step he took forward had Seonghwa moving right back.

A slight frown crossed the crouched boy’s features as he took in the crying boy before him, and without him realizing it his hand was moving, reaching in front of him. He only got it halfway before his arm began to shake. _Stupid, why are you using your injured shoulder_ came a voice from within, but the boy was too transfixed to properly listen, simply swapping arms and continuing to reach out, not stopping until his hang lightly brushed the others cheek.

“No…cry” he rasped out, voice painfully sore from lack of use. He feeble wiped at the tears on the redhead’s face and the other three in the room felt their hearts break slightly. There was no doubt in their minds that this was their Seonghwa shining through, always putting the comfort of other above himself.

“Okay Hwa, I promise I won’t cry anymore” Hongjoong smiled down at the boy, lifting his hand to hold the others against his cheek. Before he could blink the hand was pulling away from him, Seonghwa retreating even further into the corner. His eyes were wide and fearful.

“Wh…where?” he whispered, “where….am I?” his voice sounded scratchy, like he hadn’t drunk in days.

“You’re at headquarters Seonghwa hyung’, Yunho spoke up, ‘we found you. You’re safe now”. A look of confusion crossed Seonghwa’s face. He mouthed something to himself.

“Seong….hwa?” he whispered. “Who’s that?” he glanced up, flinching back at the looks of shock and horror etched into the faces of the three boys.

The _beautiful_ one crouched down, keeping his distance as the boy pulled his legs closer to himself.

“That’s you Hwa, Park Seonghwa”. The boy in the corner simply shook his head. They must have mistaken him for someone else.

“That’s not my name”. He said, breaking eye contact with the redhead, something within him hurt to look at him for too long. He caught the other two boy exchanging a glance and narrowed his eyes at them. “Who are you people?”

Seonghwa’s question sent a jolt of pain through the others. _Did, did he not know who they were? Was this amnesia?_

“You know us hyung, we’re your dongsaengs. Yunho, Mingi and Hongjoong hyung”.

The boy frowned, clearly lost and confused. He looked so small, his left arm was in a cast and he was huddled as far into one corner as he could possibly be, other arm wrapped around his legs.

“I don’t know you” he said slowly, “I don’t know any of you. How can you know me if I don’t know you?” Tears filled his vision and he blinked them visciously away in time to see a hand reaching for him again. Swiftly he grabbed it, pulled it towards him and pinned the intruder to the ground. A groan came from body and the boy registered the bright red of his hair, his body recoiling as quickly as it had reached out.

“I’m sorry,’ he whispered, ‘are you okay?” The red haired boy rubbed his arm but nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know where I am and I don’t know what you….’ His breathing hitches, ‘what you want with me”.

“We just want you safe Hwa. You’re here with us, home, safe. You’ve been missing for six months and we finally got you back” the boy with orange hair says.

The third boy, the brown haired boy, spoke up after him. “I’m Yunho. It’s okay if you don’t remember me. I promise you you’re safe here hyung, we’ll protect you”.

“Seonghwa hyung?” the orange haired boy asked, calling the boys attention back to him. “Do you remember anything?”

“My name… it isn’t. It isn’t ‘Seonghwa’. It’s….. it’s….” he paused, what was it again? He wasn’t called it very often, only when his father was happy with his work and that was very rare. A name he hears whispered in his sleep sometimes. _Oh, he remembers now._

“Mars” he whispered, eyes flashing as he looked at each of the three boys. “My name is Mars”.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> So this is my first time writing a fanfiction, so of course it had to be about my favourite boys!  
> I do currently have plans for where this is going and have a good few chapters written.  
> If you like it and want to see more let me know!


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